Douglas County Corrections breaking ground on mental health expansion

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Douglas County Department of Corrections is breaking ground on a long awaited expansion to their facility.

The goal in mind is helping incarcerated people battling mental illness.

The new facility is not only groundbreaking in the physical sense, but it also marks a new chapter at the Department of Corrections.

Leaders say this project is essential, because the current space wasn’t built with mental health needs in mind.

The expansion is set to feature 80 beds and is estimated to cost $34 million.

The Dept. of Corrections says it is being fully funded through American Rescue Plan Act money.

The groundbreaking is happening Tuesday at DCNC at 1 p.m.

This comes as conversations about mental health become more and more prevalent across communities.

Department Director Mike Myers says more than 50% of the facility’s population has been diagnosed with mental illness for the second time in a row.

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